Life By Kristen

Book Review: Just Sit

Synopsis:

Written for the many, many people whose schedule or skepticism has kept them from trying meditation, Just Sit is an approachable and visually engaging beginner’s guide. Assuaging fears, answering questions, and providing real-world information to demystify the process, Sukey and Elizabeth Novogratz provide a hands-on look at what meditation really is, what is does, and how to do it. The authors make clear that meditation doesn’t have to be complicated or follow a specific protocol. The most important part, to “just sit,” can lead to a lifelong practice, tailored to anyone’s lifestyle.

A perfect blend of information and instruction, Just Sit covers everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask. Sukey and Elizabeth address meditation myths and realities, offer advice on how to combat awkwardness, extoll the physical and emotional benefits of meditation, show readers how to find those precious minutes to meditate every day, and more. They also include an eight-week plan to get help readers kick start—and stay with—their own daily practice.

My review:  4 stars.

One of my 2018 goals is to integrate meditation into my everyday life. I meditate as part of my yoga practice, but haven’t succeeded in making it happen on other days. Several times I signed up for the Oprah/Deepak Chopra 21-day free guided meditation apps, but haven’t ever successfully done more than a few days of it. So when this book came my way, I was interested.

The title pretty much speaks to me directly-  “a meditation guidebook for people who know they should but don’t.” That’s actually pretty much a bumper sticker for so much of my life!

The book has lots of great illustrations,infographics, and helpful tidbits. It’s super readable and usable as an actual meditation tool, making it easy to flip to the sections you need and find what you want. I know it’s something I’ll refer back to in years to come, especially with some of the later chapters like preparing/packing for meditation retreats ( I’d like to do a yoga/meditation retreat at some point), mantras, and different meditation techniques.

I appreciated the very logical way the authors present their case for meditation- why it’s good, what it can do for you, and easy ways to get started. It was surprisingly “hard” to sit for three minutes! Also, it was quite laughable with this the first week I was trying to meditate because I scheduled it into my phone and set an alert so I wouldn’t forget. When it went off, I was in the middle of the grocery store with no zen in sight! This book contains an 8-week plan that I re-started this week– 2 days down and so far so good!

I know the most difficult thing for me is going to be finding the time, but like exercise, I know I must make it part of life because work is stressful and I need to find some mental focus to get myself to what I want in life. The writers say pretty early in the book: “Once you learn how to do it[meditation], and do it daily, suddenly all sorts of positive changes tend to come, and come faster and easier than ever. Meditation is the best tool for change that we know of.”

Who can argue with that?

Buy the book here!

As part of the TLC Book Tour for this book, I was provided an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.